Electric furnace



E. L'. SMALLEY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE. AP PLICATIUN FILED OCT. 21,1919.

1,34 ,854; Patented July 20, 1920 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

r E. L. SMALLEY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

- APPUCATION FILED OCT. 21, 1919.

Patented'Julj 20, 1920-,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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' ed as to their size, which require the use of PATENT emce- ED'WIN LEONARD SMALLEY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC. FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented uly 1920.

- Application filed-0ctober 21, 1919. Serial n saaaei.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that. I,"EDW1N a citizen of the United States, and resident of East Orange in the county of Essex and State of New J new and useful Improvements in Electric I Furnaces, o'f which the following is a speciersey, have invented certain fication. I

Thls invention relates to electric furnaces,

and it comprises a modification of the furnace structure illustrated in my earlier Pat-- ent No. 1234499, embracing improvements having special relation to furnaces unlimita considerable number of refractory plates,

resistance conductors, and supports therefor.

Especially in the larger sized furnaces, it.

may be desirable, as in the event of breakage of a refractory plate, or in the event of the resistance conductors requiring replacement, or where it may be expedient to localize the heat at one or more given regions in the furnace, to be able to removeand replace certain of the refractory plates or re sistance conductors, or to adjust;their po sitions longitudinally through the furnace.

Therefore, my invention includes the pros vision of refractory plate supports which may be in the form of rail sections or tiles, suitably mounted in longitudinal reception grooves therefor in the bricking of the furnace arch and sides, said supports being movable along their reception grooves in order that theymay be shifted out of sup? porting relation irvith any refractory plate or plates to be. removed, or whereby, said supports may be adjusted to suitable positions along the furnace, at whichthey are to exercise their function of supporting the refractory plates. By these means, refractory plates may be conveniently removed from and replaced Within the furnace with great convenience, for such purposes as rereverse side of the-refractory plates, may

extend out through the rear wall of the furnace when said resistance conductors are continuous throughout thedength of the furnace; or, where each or some of the re- L. SMALLEY,

of the furnace, or out through the-side walls of'the furnace to there connect with collector means.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

the drawings:

' Figure l is 'a cross-sectional elevation of my improved furnace.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, showing the adjustable supporting means for the refractory heating units.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same on a smaller scale, and Fig. 4 shows a modificatiOIl. l i

improvements are employed, herein illustrated, let 1 indicate the external frame elements, 2 the interior brick lining composed of material which is a non-conductor of heat, filling material, of usual character in this'art being provided between the frame elements and the linin I have shown the upper portion of the urnace as arched, to add strength thereto. I

I As is the case with my earlier Patent No. 1234499, I intend the interior wall surfaces ,to carry heating units composed of refracistic features necessary to enable theni to newal, or replacing of resistance conductors,

satisfy the stated requirements.

Thus, the upper and side surfaces of the v furnace are provided with longitudinal, ap

proximately T-shaped grooves or channels 3, which may extend in parallelism throughout the length of the furnace, and within these grooves are placed a number of refractory-plate supports 4, which are approximately rail shaped in cross-section, so that one head portion of each such support lies within its T-shaped groove, and the op posite head portion of the rail shaped support projects from the groove interiorly of the furnace, to there present a portion of its web and said opposite head portion as sup.- porting means for a heating plate.

The grooves 3, for convenience of production, may be formed-in two halves respectively in opposed surfaces of adjacent lining bricks 2, and the supports 4, which may be of tile, are loosely fitted in said grooves, to be capable of adjustment therein longitudinally with respect to the furnace. Slidably fitting between the shanks or webs of adjacent parallel supports4, and retained lie ins-upported relation by the supports 4 longitudinally of the furnace with their end edges in closev proximity or separated by intervening spaces of any desired extent, to furnish heating temperature, either diffused or localized as desired to suit the particular heat conditions for which the furnace is to be used. Also the resistance conductor 7 may be of continuous length throughout the longitudinal extent of the furnace, in which event its terminals may be caused to' project through the rear wall or side walls thereof, or said resistance conductor may be individual to a plate 5, when its terminals may be carried through either the top or sides of the furnace, as at 9, to communicate with a bus bar as at 10.

In 1 refractory plates 11 shown in the bottom of the furnace obviously require no means of support such as 4. I use such additional bottom heating units to complete the surrounding heating surfaces required.

I may also employ floor plates 12 of a vitrified material to resist'the abrasive wear incurred in loading and discharging the furnace.

A particular feature of the invention how ever resides in the slidable arrangement of the supports 4 within their grooves, with endwise spacing, so that they can be slid into different positions lengthwise of the furnace, since, by these means, the heating units may be adjusted as to their positions, and if desired, a refractory plate may be removed by sliding its support or supports apart sufliciently to leave a clearance between supports to permit the removal of a refractory plate from between the ends thereof, and also to permit a refractory plate to be inserted intermediately of a line of plates without requiring withdrawal outside the furnace of the forward plates. 'When it its realized that the furnace may have considerable length, as for example 12 feet, which I have constructed and have in suc cessful operation, using a number of lengthwise adjustable refractory plates, the con venience of this slidably adjustable arrangement of the supports will be appreciated.

The front cover or door of the furnace is not herein illustrated, because it is of usual character, and presents no novel feature.

Obviously, I might construct a furnace having inverted grooves 13 in the arch bricks '2 (see Fig. 4) corresponding to the grooves in refractory plates 6, and then use plain flat plates 14 in place of grooved plates 5. But I prefer the arrangement of grooved plates and flat face bricks as detailed on account of consequent ease in replacement of component parts.

Variations may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention and parts thereof used without others.

I claim:

1. The combination, with an electrical furnace having a series of heating units, of horizontally shiftable supporting elements within said furnace for said heating units whereby the latter are rendered both adjustable and renewable.

2. The combination, in an electrical furnace, of a series of refractory plates therefor, including resistor elements, and horizontally shiftable supporting members within said furnace for said plates, whereby the latter are rendered both adjustable and renewable.

3. The combination, in an electrical furnace, having heating plates, of an interior surface of said furnace provided with lengthwise grooves, and series of support units longitudinally slidable within said grooves, whereby parallel pairs of said support units are capable of removably supporting heating plates.

4. In an electrical furnace, having heating plates, in combination, a housing, the inner surface of said housing having parallel longitudinal grooves, support units adjustably slidable in engagement with said grooves, and means upon said support units whereby a parallel pair thereof are capable of removably supporting a heating plate.

5. In combination, an electrical furnace whose interior surface is provided with lengthwise grooves, spaced apart in parallelism, series of lengthwise adjustable support unitsslidably engaged in said grooves, said support units having projecting portions, and series of heating plates, having resistor elements, said heating plates respectively being in slidable engagement with opposite projecting portions of parallel support units.

6.111 combination, an electrical furnace Whose interior surface is provided with support units, .each approximately rail shaped in cross-section, engaged by one head portion in a groove, and heating plates, having resistor I elements, engaged between parallel pairs of said support units by their other head portions.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and btate of New York this 30th day of September A. D. 1919.

EDWIN LEONAR 15 :SMALLEY. 

